Coin controlled automatically cooled vending machine



R. J. TIEN\PAS July 10, 1934..

COIN CONTROLLED AUTQMATICALLY COOLED VENDING MACHINE Filed ma 4, 1932 Atlor ney Patented July 10, 1934 PATENT OFFICE COIN O O N '1 R LL E DAUTOMATICAILY COOLED VENDING MACHINE Reuben J. Tenpas,

Valparaiso, Ind., assignor of one-half to Moses W. Uban, Valparaiso,.Ind. Application May 4, 1932, Serial No. 609,180 4 Claim 7 (Cl. 194-1)My invention relates to improvements in coin controlled automaticallycooled vending machines and it more especially consists of the featurespointed out in the claims.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a vending machine attachableto a wall or supported on a stand which utilizes a dry-ice container astherefrigerant; that has a removable and refillable container or carrierin which the it) confection etc., is stored; that may also have atemperature indicator visible from the outside of the cabinet and, ifdesired, a vent leading to a fiue or outside of the room in which themachine is installed; that may use any cooperating defrosting steps whensuch are necessary; that provides an automatic coin controlled lock onthe delivery tray; and that further provides a suitable form of deliverychute.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanyingdrawing such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broadunderlying features of the invention without limiting myself to thespecific details shown thereon and described herein. I Figure 1 ismachine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. a Fig. 3' is a fragmentary sectionof Fig. 2-, on an enlarged scale showing the coin slot closure.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a diagrammaticperspective view of the delivery tray associated with the coin control.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation of anautomat-ic actuated coinslot closure.

a front elevation of an assembled Figure 7 is an elevation of Figure 6showing the diagrammatic relation of the thermostatic control of thecoin slot closure. In marketing my invention 1 may use whatever 4oalternatives or equivalents of construction that the exigencies ofvarying conditions may demand without departing from the broad spirit ofthey invention.

I may use any desired form of cabinet 1 that may be attached to theminor supported on a suitable pedestal. It will have its side walls 2,top 4 and bottom 5 insulated in any desired manner. In order to easilyservice the machine a door '3 is provided lengthwise of one of thesides. It is also insulated and provided with any suitable form ofhandle which serves to hold the door closed. Any form of lock may beused to prevent access to the cabinet by unauthorized persons.

In the form of my invention, instanced on the drawing, I support acold-ice container (solid held gate 16 drop by gravity C01) 8 on theinside of the door 3, near its top,

in an easily attachable and detachable manner or it may be positionedelsewhere as desired. The goods to be vended are usually enclosed inunita y cartons so as to readily drop by gravity while stored in acarrierll. This carrier may have a continuous back, integral with sidewalls and narrow front flanges. At the upper end the back may terminatein a hook-end 15. :At the lower end the side walls may terminate intolaterally projecting toes which serve to form runways for a safetyslide. This slide prevents the goods dropping out of the carriers 11 asthey are being placed in the machine during the servicing periods. Whenthe carrier like guide 12 it is, as stated, hung onto the back wallofthe guide and the bottom end is held in place in the guide by anydesired form of springor otherwise, and the safety slide is removed bythe attendant. As this slide is taken frombeneath the stored cartons,they all as the lowest one falls into the recess 21 of the delivery tray'1, ready to be removed whenever the required coin 24 it! placed in-thecoin slit l0 preparatory to automatically so unlocking the tray. i Theunlocked tray 7 is'pulled forward to deliver the product through theopening 18 formed in the bottom end 5 of the cabinet, into the deliverychute 6. As the tray is pulled forward its 5 rear end 22 passes beneaththe remaining cartons and holds them in placeuntil the tray is pushedback into its original position. The operationof the tray is controlledby a coin 24 as it descends from the slot 10 through a chute 26 onto thelighter end of a pivoted locking lever or arm 23. The weight of the coinraises the other end of the lever out of the deep notch 19. A' suitablestop beneath the coin end of the lever limits its movement. The lockingend of the lever is just raised out of the notch 19 but not out of thelong recess 20 which serves to prevent the tray being accidentallypulled out of the cabinet. The forward movement of the tray causes aprojection 25 from push it off from the lever 23 into a chute 27 thatleads to the cash box 28. When the tray is returned the lever 23 slideson the long recess 20 until the deep notch 19 is reached when it dropsinto it by gravity, thus locking withdrawal until another coin 24 is inthe coin slot 11. In order that the coin chute 26 and lever 23 will notbe made inoperative through freezing they may be suitably positioned inan in-. sulating side 2 and the is placed in the trough-- 7o its side toengage thecoin and 1 0 the tray against 5 insulated space beneath thedoor. The tray.7 may be also insulated like the other portions of thecabinet.

The guide 12 is supported in any suitable manner so as to leave an airspace between it and the wall of the cabinet. A partition wall 13 may beplaced between the carrier 11 and the refrigerant container 8 but notclosing a space at the top and the bottom to provide air circulation.Openings may also be made in the partition. A vent 14, if foundnecessary, may lead from the top of the cabinet to a flue. When themachine is reserviced the refrigerant container may be removed for therequired time to defrost the interior to permit of an easy removal andreplacement of the carrier.

An indicator 9 on the door indicates the temperature within the cabinetwhether it is sufliciently low to keep the goods in a saleablecondition. If desired an interlocking connection between the indicatorand the coin slot may be provided that will automatically close the slotin case the temperature should accidentally rise so high as to make theproducts unsaleable. This safeguard may be secured in several ways, oneof which is instanced diagrammatically in Figures 3 and 4 wherein thevisible indicating thermometer 9 may be actuated by an internalexpansion element 29 which has an extension 30 for operating a gate 31which has an opening 32 through which coins intended for the slot 26will pass unobstructedly into the slot 27 and the cash box 28 so long asthe inside temperature is such as to maintain the goods in a saleablecondition. As soon as the temperature rises sufiiciently so .that thecontents of the cabinet should not be vended, the closure 31 is actuatedby the extension 30 to draw the opening 32 away from the coin slot 26thus preventing the insertion of a coin to operate the machine. Ifdesired any kind of a visible indication may be given adjacent the coinslot 10, such for instance as, not in operation etc.

While I have shown and described a dry-ice container I do not limitmyself to this form of refrigerant as I may also use any desired type ofremovable cartridge electric or gas accessory.

I have shown and described delivery of the goods 'from the bottom of thecabinet, but I do not limit myself to this expedient, as delivery may bemade from the top instead in cooperation with suitable mechanism (notshown). When delivery is made at the bottom, as shown in the drawing,the space above .the tray 7 between the portion of the front, beneaththe door 3 and the carrier 11 may be covered with insulation.

In order to protect the purchasing public against depositing coins whenthe goods in the machine are unsaleable the indicator 9, previouslydescribed, is provided. To further protect the public I may install anindicator to show when the supply of goods is exhausted or tocontinuously inventory the remnant of goods on hand. In addition I mayalso provide an interlock (not shown) which on the delivery of the lastarticle will close the coin slot 10.

What I claim is:

1. A refrigerating cabinet having a coin con-' trolled vending meanscharacterized by a temperature responsive device within the cabinet, a

closure for the coin slot, and means for actuating ,mission of a coinwhenever the interior temperature endangers the saleability of thecontents of the cabinet.

3. In refrigerating and vending machines including a refrigeratingcabinet housing, coin controlled vending means, characterized by havinga storage space for goods deliverable through a coin controlled deliverytray, in combination with a temperature responsive device positionedwithin the cabinet and subject to the temperature therein, a. closurefor the coin slot, and a connection from the closure to the temperatureresponsive device whereby coins cannot be inserted in the coin-slot whenthe temperature within the cabinet reaches a point at which thecharacter of the goods is rendered unvendable and the delivery trayremains inoperative and the coin slot remains closed.

4. A refrigerating cabinet housing, coin controlled vending means, acoin slot, a temperature responsive device within the cabinet, andactuating mechanism from the latter to the former adapted to close thecoin slot against the admission of a coin when the temperature withinthe cabinet reaches a point at which the goods are rendered unsaleable.

' REUBEN J. TENPAS.

